Rhonda Pineda was Atomica, a member of the Crime Syndicate of Earth 3. She operated as an advance agent, infiltrating A.R.G.U.S. under the name the Atom.
History
Rhonda Pineda was the lover and partner-in-crime of Jonathan Allen. Violent and sadistic, Pineda was apparently particularly fond of killing children. When Allen was captured by two cops, Mick Rory and Leonard Snart, who intended to torture him to death, Pineda saved him by crashing a truck into the police van he was being transported in. Allen and Pineda then tortured the two cops, making them fight each other to the death, before killing the victor anyway. The pair were then hunted down and decided to make a last stand on the roof of S.T.A.R. Labs, but a lightning strike hit a satellite dish next to Allen and he was changed by the energies, while Pineda landed in a machine used for size-changing experiments. The two were empowered and became Johnny Quick and Atomica, members of the Crime Syndicate.[1]
When Earth 3 was destroyed by a mysterious cosmic being, Pineda and the Outsider were able to escape to Prime Earth, and plotted to bring their friends to that Earth too. Atomica intended to join the Justice League, and got into their good graces by defusing a bomb planted by the Atlanteans in their war against the surface world. She was again useful to the League when she caught the Responsometer of Platinum in a battle between the robot and the League. Atomica was soon recruited into the League as the Atom, and began preparing for the Crime Syndicate's rescue. Pineda used her hacking skills to detect the presence of a sentient computer virus within the cyborg body of Victor Stone, and was recruited as a double agent by the JLA, who were unaware of her true motives.[2]
When the Justice League, JLA and Justice League Dark clashed in the desert of Kahndaq over possession of Pandora's Box, Pineda revealed her true motives to the Leagues and triggered the virus within Cyborg that caused his cyborg parts to separate from him and become the robotic Grid. Pandora's Box was opened, and proved to be a portal through which the rest of the Crime Syndicate came to Prime Earth, and Atomica was reunited with Johnny Quick. Except for several members who escaped, the rest of the League's members were imprisoned inside the Firestorm Matrix.[3]
The Crime Syndicate began a reign of terror over the world, and Johnny Quick and Atomica took the lead in stamping out any resistance to their rule. The pair easily defeated the Teen Titans by sending them through time, and killed the first iteration of the Doom Patrol, with Atomica personally killing Scorch.[4]
When Batman and Lex Luthor lead an 'Injustice League' against the Crime Syndicate, Atomica and Johnny went up against them. Atomica proved ineffective against Black Manta, and Johnny lost his right leg when he underestimated Captain Cold, as he didn't realize Cold could activate his cold gun using his voice. Cold and Manta had freed the Syndicate's prisoner, the Alexander Luthor of Earth-3, who proceeded to kill the crippled Johnny by breaking his neck and steal his powers.[5]
As her size-reduction belt was damaged when Mazahs called upon his powers, Atomica was trapped at a small size and was found by Lex Luthor calling out for her dead lover Johnny. Luthor told Atomica she was responsible for what had happened and stomped on her with his armored boot, crushing her to death.[6]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Size Alteration: Able to shrink her body to varying degrees (including the subatomic level).[2]
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Shrink Belt: Rhonda's size alteration is stated to come from a special belt she received from A.R.G.U.S.[2]
Trivia
- Unlike the former Atom, Ray Palmer, Rhonda has no problem moving through cell phones. She can even insert herself into computer game realities with her size alteration.[7]
Related
- 46 Appearances of Rhonda Pineda (Earth 3)
- 25 Images featuring Rhonda Pineda (Earth 3)
- Quotations by or about Rhonda Pineda (Earth 3)
- Character Gallery: Rhonda Pineda (Earth 3)
Footnotes
Crime Syndicate/Society member This character is or was primarily a member of the the CSA (Crime Syndicate of America • Crime Syndicate of Amerika • Crime Society of America), in any of its various incarnations, either on Earth-Three, Earth-3, Earth 3, or in the Antimatter Universe. As with all other CSA members, they are an evil version of a hero of the mainstream DC Universe, primarily the Justice League. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "CSA members" category. |
Justice League member This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. |
A.R.G.U.S. member |
Justice League Villain This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains." |